Chapter 16

Noelle noticed how Lucas was looking at her and frowned slightly. At that moment, her phone buzzed with a call from Frank. "Noelle, you're at the venue, right?" An ominous feeling crept over her. She wanted to deny it, but the screams of the fans all around her gave Frank his answer before she could. "Noelle, something urgent just came up at the company, so Blake and I can't make it to the match. This competition is significant for Lucas. You should step in and join the team. "Whatever issues you and Lucas had before, we need to stick together and stand united when facing challenges, right?" The moment Frank's words hit her, the noise of the screaming fans faded into the background, swallowed by her silence. It was the kind of silence that spoke volumes. Without saying a single word, Noelle ended the call. She didn't feel like explaining herself. She hadn't gone there that day to compete. She was there to watch the drama unfold. On stage, Lucas glanced toward the audience, waiting. His irritation began to show when Noelle didn't move from her seat or head backstage. "What's Noelle's deal? Does she expect me to go down there and ask her personally?" he muttered, his jaw tightening. A flicker of amusement flashed across Xenia's eyes. "Lucas, let me message Noelle and check in with her. But honestly, seeing her just sitting there in the audience, I guess that she'd still be upset. If she wasn't, you know as well as I do that she'd already be backstage by now." Lucas thought back to how Noelle used to be. She never needed him to say anything; she simply understood. He'd grown used to her always being there for him. But now, it was like she'd turned into someone completely different. Lucas' tone was stiff as he said, "Call her. I'll let bygones be bygones if she's willing to join the match. I'll continue treating her like a sister, just like before." The memory of what had happened at school flickered in his mind. He knew that he'd been too impulsive. He'd let it go as long as Noelle was willing to let it go, too. They could all go back to the way things used to be. Xenia's expression froze for a split second, but she recovered quickly. "Alright. I'll call her now. I'm sure she'll join for your sake." Lucas' expression softened at her words, his frustration easing slightly. Xenia stepped off to the side, pulling out her phone. Her eyes found Noelle in the audience, her gaze darkening. Noelle noticed the name flashing on her screen. She didn't need to think twice to know what this call was about and what Xenia would say. Without hesitation, Noelle declined the call, her expression cold and unwavering. Xenia blinked at the abrupt rejection, surprise flickering across her face. But it didn't take long for a smug smile to replace it. She reluctantly accepted the information. There was no need to waste her time anyway. Xenia hadn't wanted Noelle to join the match anyway. She didn't want Noelle stealing her spotlight. She wanted Noelle to sit there and watch with her own eyes how she and Lucas were going to win this match without any help from her! When Xenia returned to Lucas, her eyes were red, her expression pitifully remorseful. "Lucas, it's my fault. I'm terrible with words, and Noelle probably hates me now. That must be why she didn't answer my call. Should I just go talk to her in person?" Lucas' face darkened, his voice hard. "No need. Frank just told me that he called her, too, and she hung up on him. It's clear that Noelle never planned to join the team or play in the match. Don't bother wasting your time." "Lucas, I don't think Noelle's that kind of person. She wouldn't come here just to laugh at us," Xenia said. "We're going to win this match. There's no way we're letting Noelle get what she wants." Without another glance at the audience, Lucas slid on his headset, closing himself off. Seeing his reaction, a spark of satisfaction flickered in Xenia's eyes. "Noelle, this time, I'm going to win again," she thought. Soon after, the match began between Team Luminark and Team Trailblaze. Noelle's gaze shifted to the massive screen displaying the live commentary. Right from the start, Lucas, playing as the assassin, led his team into position for an ambush. But it quickly became apparent that the opposing team had done their homework. They'd studied Lucas' tendencies and set up a bait maneuver to draw him in. In her previous life, Noelle had noticed the exact suspicious enemy positioning. At that time, she warned Lucas to be cautious and not rush in blindly. But Lucas, stubborn as ever, had dismissed her advice and berated her. He'd ignored her and taken one other player to scout ahead. What happened next was disastrous. It turned out to be a well-executed trap by Team Trailblaze, and Lucas' team was ambushed. Back then, Noelle had rallied the remaining players, leading them in a daring counterattack. She had turned the game around by sneaking into the enemy's base and launching a surprise strike. This time, she curiously watched, wondering if Lucas had learned anything or if history would repeat itself. As she expected, Lucas made the same decision as he did before. He led his entire team straight into the enemy's trap. A faint smile tugged at Noelle's lips as the predictable disaster unfolded. She wasn't surprised. By the time Lucas realized what was happening, it was already too late. His team's rhythm shattered under the surprise assault. True to form, Xenia panicked almost instantly. She fumbled repeatedly, making critical mistakes that nearly killed her teammates. Lucas ordered his team to retreat, guiding them into the safety of a nearby building. But the mounting frustration finally boiled over. Lucas exploded. "Xenia, where the hell is your brain? I told everyone to fall back. What were you doing fighting? Are you trying to prove how great you are or something?" Xenia's composure was starting to crack. "Lucas, I just couldn't let it go. When I saw that enemy with low health, I thought I could take them out." "Take them out? More like you handed them a free kill! If you were so confident in your skills, maybe you wouldn't have gotten caught in their trap earlier and dragged the rest of us into this mess!" Lucas snapped. Xenia's face burned with embarrassment. Being scolded so openly in front of everyone made her humiliation unbearable. She lashed out, "If it weren't for you falling into their trap and getting us surrounded, none of this would've happened!" Lucas' anger flared even hotter. "You've got some nerve blaming me! This is all on you for being completely useless. You're holding the entire team back. After all this training, you haven't improved at all. You're just wasting everyone's time!" Xenia's face turned a furious shade of red, her emotions spilling out in a storm. Without saying another word, she shoved her chair back, stormed off the stage, and left. The entire crowd erupted into a frenzy. A teammate leaving mid-match wasn't just dramatic—it was catastrophic. Her actions could completely derail the team. The big screen overhead zoomed in on Lucas. His expression was livid, and his jaw tightened with frustration. With no other choice, Lucas called for a timeout. Each team was allowed one timeout per match, and Lucas used theirs. The opposing fans began to jeer, already celebrating in advance. Lucas slammed his keyboard in frustration, his fury boiling over. He couldn't believe Xenia's audacity to throw a tantrum during such an important match. No matter how much he yelled at her, Noelle would've never pulled something like this. The atmosphere in the stadium was tense. Seizing the moment, players from the opposing team stood up and began mocking Lucas and his teammates. "Hey, Lucas! Why don't you just forfeit now? Save yourself the humiliation of being completely destroyed. At least you'd walk away with some dignity." Lucas stood abruptly. "I'm not forfeiting! If anyone here is scared of losing, it's you. That's why you're trying to psych us out." "Come on, man. Anyone with half a brain can see that you're going to lose. You even had a teammate walk out! And what's this I hear about your 'unbeatable family team'? What a joke!" another sneered. "Family team, huh? They're just a bunch of kids left behind when their parents died. What is so great about that? This isn't a competition for who got dumped with the most kids," another chimed in. The words hit Lucas like a punch to the gut. Slamming his chair back, he shouted, "You had better watch your damn mouth!" "Oh, what? Did I say something wrong? Go ahead. Try to hit me, you worthless little orphan. I bet that if your parents were still alive, they'd die all over again from the embarrassment of watching you lose this match." From her seat in the audience, Noelle's expression turned ice cold. Her eyes burned with rage. How dare they insult her parents? Without a moment's hesitation, Noelle stood and began making her way backstage. Meanwhile, on stage, Lucas' teammate grabbed him and forced him back into his chair before he could escalate things further. They knew that if he started a fight in front of the entire audience, it would only make things worse.